1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope guide tube and an endoscope including a tube member provided with a braided tube constructed by including an insulating member making up an outer layer and a metal wire making up an inner layer thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Endoscopes are used in the medical field and the industrial field or the like. Endoscopes used in the industrial field can check for damage, corrosion and the like with a flexible elongated insertion portion thereof inserted into a jet engine, plant piping or the like.
In recent years, along with the popularization of electric cars, there is a demand for endoscopic observation of the interior of a device including many live parts or the interior of a device including a switchboard.
The insertion portion may be made of an insulating member to be able to safely observe the interior of the device including live parts using the endoscope.
The insertion portion of an endoscope is generally constructed by connecting a distal end portion, a bending portion and a flexible tube portion. Construction of the insertion portion using only an insulating member allows endoscopic observation of the interior of a device including many live parts to be carried out in a worry-free and safe manner.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 3-236825 discloses an endoscope provided with water leakage detection means. In this endoscope, a cylindrical water sensor is externally provided on the outside of a substrate so as to be able to detect water. In the water sensor, a positive electrode and a negative electrode are spirally wound in parallel around the perimeter of an insulating cylindrical member, the ends of the respective electrodes are connected to signal lines for water leakage detection, and the signal lines are connected to a water leakage detection circuit. According to this technique, when a water droplet adheres to and spans the positive electrode and the negative electrode, the water leakage detection circuit can detect that the electrodes are electrically connected.